On 40th Anniversary of "War on Drugs," Cops Release Report Showing its Failure

WASHINGTON, DC -- In conjunction with this week's 40th anniversary of President Nixon declaring "war on drugs," a group of police, judges and jailers who support legalization released a report today showing how the Obama administration is ramping up a war it disingenuously claims that it ended two years ago.

Following the report's release at a press conference this morning, the pro-legalization law enforcers attempted to hand-deliver a copy to Obama administration drug czar Gil Kerlikowske, who is a former Seattle chief of police. Instead of making time to listen to the concerns of fellow law enforcers who have dedicated their careers to protecting public safety, he simply sent a staffer to the lobby to receive a copy of the cops' report.

Norm Stamper, also a former chief of police in Seattle and a speaker for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, said, "It wasn't hard to put together a report showing how the Obama administration continues to wage the failed 'war on drugs' even while pretending to end it. Although President Obama has talked about respecting states' rights to enact medical marijuana laws, his DEA has raided state-legal medical marijuana providers at a higher rate than under the Bush administration. Similarly, this president has continued a Bush-era budget ratio that heavily favors spending on punishment over providing resources for treatment, even though he has said drug addiction should be handled as a health issue."

In the past four days alone, 2,500 people have used LEAP's website to send letters to President Obama asking him to transform his administration's good rhetoric on ending the "war on drugs" into policy reality. That action alert is also online at http://www.CopsSayLegalizeDrugs.com/40years

Neill Franklin, a former Baltimore narcotics cop and LEAP's executive director, said, "Over the past few weeks, us cops who have been on the front lines of the 'war on drugs' have made numerous attempts to schedule a meeting with the drug czar to share our concerns about the harms these drug laws are causing. The fact that he refused to sit down with us and discuss these issues - even when we went directly to his doorstep - speaks volumes about how much the Obama administration would rather ignore the failed 'war on drugs' than do anything to actually address it."

Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) represents police, prosecutors, judges, prison wardens, federal agents and others who want to legalize and regulate drugs after fighting on the front lines of the "war on drugs" and learning firsthand that prohibition only serves to worsen addiction and violence. More info at http://www.CopsSayLegalizeDrugs.com.

3 comments:

LEAP is an amazing group of people - it would behoove the DEA to pay mind to their staff and heed the message of the need for reform of drug laws.....and stop trying to enforce laws that attempt to reform drug users.

I find it insulting that a government organization has a right to tell me what i can or cannot do to myself... I think I'm old enough to make those decisions for myself, failing that I think the decision for medicating is between me and my doctor alone...

keep up the good fight LEAP, your the best people to point out the hypocrisy of a system that's grown into a monster devouring all in its path with no oversight or review for such a bad public policy!

In Clarence Page's editorial in the Chicago Tribune, entitled "Dump the war on drugs", he writes, "LEAP favors drug legalization and strict regulation. That means, arrest the sellers and send users to treatment. "It's easier to beat a drug addiction," Franklin observed, "than to beat the devastating impact of a prison sentence."

That's not quite right, is it? Am I correct that LEAP actually agrees that freeing up consumption while maintaining Prohibition on production, trafficking and sale would be the worst of both worlds? Especially bad from the perspective of countries south of the US border and elsewhere?

Nothing like causing even more trouble in Mexico and Central America.

Keep up the good work, and please correct Mr. Page if a correction is warranted.